Ministry of Health: Medical prevention - national priority

The Ministry of Health (MoH) announces that all persons over the age of 18 benefit from free preventive medical services, regardless of whether they are insured or not. The measure is part of a national health promotion program, aimed at encouraging periodic medical check-ups and early detection of diseases. Minister of Health, Alexandru Rogobete, said: "Medical prevention is once again becoming a national priority. Free access to checks, analyzes and investigations, including for uninsured persons, is only the first step. Now we must work on changing mentalities and forming healthy habits. Recurrent health checks, even when it does not hurt, save lives, time and resources. Go to the doctor regularly, with confidence.”

• Free consultations for all age groups

According to the Ministry of Health, no health insurance is required to benefit from these services. All adults can go to their family doctor for consultations and receive a referral for free tests and investigations, depending on their age and identified risks. For people between 18 and 39 years old: a free annual consultation for individual risk assessment; counseling on smoking, nutrition, physical activity and body weight. For people over 40 years old: up to three free consultations per year, for evaluation, counseling and monitoring.

• Free medical tests by referral

Following the consultations, family doctors can issue referrals for a wide range of free tests and investigations: Complete blood count, blood sugar, total and LDL cholesterol, liver and kidney tests; HPV test, ultrasound or mammography for women; Fecal occult blood test, for colorectal cancer detection; PSA test for men over 50 years old. Also, patients already diagnosed with chronic diseases can receive additional preventive consultations, to detect other serious conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer or kidney diseases.

In specific situations, the family doctor can issue referrals for additional investigations, for example: in case of suspected cancer; for testing for hepatitis B and C; for testing for the HIV virus in pregnant women.

The Ministry of Health encourages all Romanians to take advantage of these free services and to contact family doctors for preventive evaluations.